[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Beth Sweet

Simple answer: college comes first. No employer is going to hire someone because they were in FIRST. They will hire you because you have a 4.0.

Beth, I've been out of college for about 175 dog years, and I've been involved in hiring hundreds of people, including dozens of students right out of school. I'd be a lot more impressed with a student who had a 3.2 and had mentored a high school FIRST team for four years (or worked in the industry, or was on Search and Rescue, or supported a family while they went to school, or was in the military) than with a 4.0 who hadn't. It wouldn't even be close. Grades matter a lot more to college students than employers. While, tragically, HR departments are nearly as obsessed with grades as students, hiring managers are a lot more interested in what you know, how you work with others, and if you really know how to work. Grades are not really a very good indicator of any of those things.